Combining premium materials with the finest innovation, the facility famously provides Nike’s professional players with boots engineered to their exact specifications.

While almost conservative by today’s standards, the pop of color and wavy quilting on Air GX began to express Nike’s edgier side on the pitch. The iconic branding was also a sign of things to come, both on pitch and off with sneakers like the Nike Spiridon adopting Air GX’s mini-Swoosh. Even the boot’s name, which was a nod to Generation X, signaled the Air GX was not your father’s football boot.

Now on the 20th anniversary of the Air GX and in celebration of the Montebelluna team that created it, Nike is launching a limited-edition Hypervenom GX. The boots feature supple Alegria leather as well as Nike Flyknit, merging traditional materials with modern technology in a boot that is 35% lighter than the original Air GX.

The Hypervenom GX retains the iconic lines of the Air GX, though without the quilting that originally perforated the leather. The upper also stays true to the asymmetrical lacing of the 1997 model, but without the oversized tongue rendered unnecessary thanks to advancements in lacing.

Numerous details honor the Monetebelluna team, several members of which have been with Nike since the launch of the first Air GX. The Montebelluna crest accompanied by the colors of the Italian flag appear on the shoe bag, sockliner, and heel. Italy’s flag also appears as a woven label on the lateral side of the boot. The Alegria leather symbol on the upper includes the number 20 to mark the anniversary.